This is Congressman Eugene Green (HT to an e-mailer), Democrat from Texas, telling the world that if you're not from his District, you're not welcome at his future town hall meetings -- oh, and how he'll enforce his new rule (bold is his):

This is how Gene Green has voted on laws relating to requiring photo identification to vote (from the web site "On the Issues"):

Any questions? Oh, I do have a couple:  How many dozen other Congressmen who oppose voter ID laws are going to hypocritically enforce voter-ID rules at their town halls -- And does that mean that controlling their meetings is more important than controlling the voting process?  Will this be newsworthy to the establishment media, which would be all over this if Gene Green were a Republican, and which is scouring town hall sign-in sheets as you read this for evidence of out-of-district attendees?Den

Wasn’t that lady and the little “mean sign” girl at Obama’s town hall in New Hampshire really Maine residents? If this is the new rule for town halls, they should NOT have been allowed. I’m emailing flag@whitehouse.gov!

(A) a deliberation between a quorum of a governmental body, or between a quorum of a governmental body and another person, during which public business or public policy over which the governmental body has supervision or control is discussed or considered or during which the governmental body takes formal action; or

(B) except as otherwise provided by this subdivision, a gathering: (i) that is conducted by the governmental body or for which the governmental body is responsible;

(ii) at which a quorum of members of the governmental body is present;

(iii) that has been called by the governmental body; and

(iv) at which the members receive information from, give information to, ask questions of, or receive questions from any third person, including an employee of the governmental body, about the public business or public policy over which the governmental body has supervision or control. The term does not include the gathering of a quorum of a governmental body at a social function unrelated to the public business that is conducted by the body, or the attendance by a quorum of a governmental body at a regional, state, or national convention or workshop, ceremonial event, or press conference, if formal action is not taken and any discussion of public business is incidental to the social function, convention, workshop, ceremonial event, or press conference. The term includes a session of a governmental body.

(5) Open means open to the public.

The Congressman would qualify as a government body in this case. If he calls the meeting, then it would be subject to the Open Meetings Act.

Testimony before House Committee on Elections on Behalf of AARP
Testimony before House Committee on Elections on Behalf of AARP Given By Mary Scott State President, Texas, April 6, 2009.

Older individuals vote in disproportionately high numbers, (About one half of the voters in the November 2006 and recent presidential election were over the age of 50.) and AARP believes fair and simple procedures help to maintain this high level of participation in the democratic process. AARP does not support procedures that reflect partisan bias, or that permit arbitrary or discriminatory reviews or voter challenges that may discourage turnout by older voters.

Of particular concern today are efforts to enact voter ID requirements. AARP believes voter ID laws as enacted in other states serve to discourage rather than encourage participation of older voters in the election process. These requirements hearken back to the days before the Voting Rights Act when many people were disenfranchised and barred from voting by formal and informal measures such as the poll taxes and literacy tests.

The AARP Foundation Litigation unit filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court case Crawford vs. Marion County. The AARP litigation unit also served as co-counsel in the Georgia and Arizona cases challenging those states photo ID laws, and filed Amicus briefs in Missouri and Michigan cases.

At first glance this type of voter ID law may appear harmless. However, Voter ID requirements pose a real barrier for senior voters, threatening to reduce legitimate citizen participation in the electoral process by our most faithful voters.

While identification requirements sound simple, some types of paperwork just aren’t available to many Texans, especially older ones. It is not uncommon for birth certificates to be lost and passports to expire. Fire, a move, a hurricane, or misplaced documents can all result in the absence of the numerous documents typically required by Voter ID laws in other states.

With a voter ID requirement in place, the wait-time required to replicate the documents could, even without the cost involved, disenfranchise a voter who has the misfortune to be without a birth certificate or passport, shortly before an election.

Further, allowing alternative forms of ID does not make Voter ID less onerous. Older citizens who are living in a retirement or assisted living facility or even in the home of one of their children may not have an electricity bill or a phone bill in their name. Even if those documents were easily available, people are just not in the habit of carrying them and their passports.

14
posted on 08/12/2009 10:44:06 AM PDT
by a fool in paradise
(There is no truth in the Pravda Media.)

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